Operation GALAXY:The Spartan of the Republic
by Johnnieboy11
Summary: After the destruction of Reach and his days-long resistance upon the dying world, Noble Six wakes, alone, but armed to the teeth, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away... Under attack from unknown enemies, the Spartan will be faced with tough choices as he fights to help a Republic beset by war in a world he remembers faintly.
1. Prologue:There will be another time

_The year was 2552._

_Humanity lay at the brink of extinction._

_The Greatest Fortress, second only to Earth herself in defenses..._

_Reach..._

_It Fell. Fell while its defenders fought inch by bloody inch, until none remained._

_We will follow the story of one of the defenders, left with nothing but his will, wits and survival instinct after Reach was declared lost and after his final mission was accomplished. And his travels through A Galaxy Far, Far Away..._

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_**Operation GALAXY:The Spartan of the Republic**_

**_30TH OF AUGUST, 2552, STANDARD UNSC CALENDAR_**

**_LOCATION:UNKNOWN_**

**_"Lone Wolf"_**

_"There'll be another time..."_

His eyes slowly fluttered open. An orange sky greeted them and he felt sand grind below his feet. The hulking, armored soldier stood to his feet, feeling his back for his equipment and gear. Six frag grenades lined his armored belt, while his multiple pouches held ammunition and rechargers for his gear, among which were a pair of Elite Plasma 'Rifles', an M6 Magnum, an MA37K AR, an M392 DMR, an SRS-99/95 Anti-Materiel Rifle and an M45 Shotgun. Beside these, he also had the Energy Sword he'd retrieved from an Elite general stowed on his back. Add to that a Grenade Launcher and a Spartan Laser and the trooper was stowed to full capacity.

He had ammo for every weapon in every pouch, enough of it to last him days. He also hauled a small bag that was clipped to his belt, containing MREs for later usage. The Spartan was clad in a set of white MJOLNIR Mark V armor, with stripes running down the chest next to a red and black flaming skull emblem. His chest was stocked with pouches, a knife and a short-range radio communication device which, for now, picked up only static. His left shoulder was a bulky, rounded plate of armor that was hardened. His helmet was a RECON helmet with added attachments, including a pair of NVGs that linked directly to the armor's visual system. His right shoulder was FJ/Para, bearing another emblem...

He scanned the horizon ahead, noticing nothing but scarlet rocks and plateaus. He was on top of a cliff whose fall would kill him if he took the jump without a jetpack. Looking down, the Spartan saw a line of... Strange machines, marching toward what seemed to be a massive wall in-between the two cliff-faces, upon which were multiple gun ports. The Spartan watched as machines... Combat Droids that were clearly of advanced design, milled about on top of that wall... His HUD flickered to life, his shields powering on and his MT kicking up. Strange... He must've been hit by an EMP before waking up.

He scanned his surroundings and saw an approaching droid. A skinny, thin thing painted to match the desert it was in. The Spartan drew his DMR, knelt and shouldered it, before looking down the scope. He watched the thing swivel toward him and aim whatever it had as a weapon from the hip... A scarlet bolt struck next to Six's head. The Spartan didn't flinch, responding with one bullet to the mech's head, sending it toppling to the floor.

Reverberating through the air, the shot was eventually dulled out by the hum of engines. The Spartan, hearing the noises coming from his right, looked to see a wave of strange gunships entering the atmosphere. Guns fired, flak exploded and an all-out battle began as some of the gunships slammed crashed to the floor. Thankfully intact... The Spartan saw troopers pile out of them, wearing white armor. Following them, people with strange weapons too piled out...

He gazed to the gun-filled wall as its weapons began to spew scarlet death by the tidal wave at the crash survivors... He surged forward, even with all his heavy gear stowed on his person, before skidding down one of the rock walls and jumping on top of the artificial gun wall. He landed on a droid, punching its head clean off, before drawing his Assault Rifle and opening fire on fully-automatic.

The AP Rounds made short work of the mechs, sending several battered corpses of them toppling over the sides of the wall. As they woke up and began to engage the Spartan, he started feeling the brunt of the plasma rounds striking his shields. He was thankful they still held, even if they were dimming and slowly reaching critical under the barrage. He'd just have to hurry up the assault.

Grabbing a droid by its skinny throat, he put it in front of him in hopes it would take the brunt of shots while he readied a Plasma grenade. He knew Plasma would have enough residual energy to kick up a small EMP and, if the explosion didn't melt the tin cans, hopefully it'd burn out their circuits. He pulled the blue ball of death off his belt, hitting the button and hurling it over his makeshift bot cover... It landed on one of the droids, which began screaming for help as it stuck... And the detonation sent burning hot plasma and the EMP pulse into the droids, melting them completely or shorting them out.

He tossed the corpse of the droid he grabbed into several of its bigger, bulkier grey compatriots, toppling them to the floor, before he drew his Magnum and executed them. He then withdrew one of the Plasma Rifles and aimed it toward another squad of droids. The bursts of superheated, ionized gas punched through the droids, melting internals with extreme prejudice.

He heard one of the big grey fuckers coming in behind him and swiveled about, kicking him off the wall and to the floor below. Hearing two weapons activate on opposing sides of the wall, the Spartan gazed upon one side, to see a human clad in a black robe appearing, a hilt emanating a plasma beam in his hand... And behind him, a girl, maybe 16, with a similar weapon spun backwards, like a dagger... She had orange skin and tails instead of hair...

The Spartan snapped his plasma rifle toward her and the handgun toward the guy. He froze, as did the girl, upon seeing the weapons drawn... The girl spoke "Easy, easy! We're not here to hurt ya!" And she stowed her weapon after shutting it off. She looked to the man, then said "Master... Please, stow it." to which the man seemed surprised... He nodded, then put his weapon away as well. The girl smirked, then said "There... See? Friends."

... The Spartan had a sour taste in his mouth, but he chose to go along with it. He lowered his pistol and plasma rifle, putting them both away. He watched as one of their soldiers approached, pistols drawn, before stopping in front of them and saying "Damn. General, Commander, where'd you find this guy? He's carrying a lot of gear." before he too stowed his pistols...

"We're actually trying to find out who he is." The girl noted, before tilting her head toward him... "So... Uhm... I'm Ahsoka. Hi. I'm friendly. And those on your right are comrades in arms of mine. My master, Anakin Skywalker."

"Hey there." Skywalker gave a mock salute... Wait what.

"And Captain Rex. 501st." Ahsoka continued. The Captain gave a nod. Six looked to all 3 of them, then gave a nod and looked outward from the wall, to the direction that the clones and such wanted to head. Clones, Skywalker, Ahsoka... The Spartan had a nagging feeling he'd seen this before. He turned to Ahsoka, who gave him a smile, before asking "So... You got a name, big guy?" as she stared up at him... Which was funny enough, considering how far back she had to crane her neck. The Spartan took a moment...

"Six." He said in a calm voice.

"Well... That's a fancy name." Rex quipped, looking about. "So... Six. Any idea on how to take down this wall and allow our troops to advance?"

The Spartan looked to Rex. "You expect me to help people I don't even know. People with an Alien in tow, at that." He simply stated in deadpan, making him and the other two double over. It gave him a bit more time to process as he knelt to the floor of the wall and ran his hand across creases and small crevasses in-between the stones that were joined to make the wall.

He found a tiny, almost unnoticeable hairpin crease, rounding the feet of Rex. Possibly an elevator. He showed the Captain to step back... He cocked back his fist under the surprised gazes of everyone, and before Ahsoka could step in and ask him what he was doing... He punched down onto the rounded stone, cracking and breaking it with one direct hit, sending stone crashing down the shaft. He looked to Ahsoka, who apparently had a bag of explosives, then motioned to her to hand it over... She did so reluctantly and the Spartan clicked the bombs on, before tossing them down the shaft. He stood up and said "I suggest we evacuate the wall before those detonate."

... He had a point. Ahsoka looked to him and said "Follow me, Big Guy!" before she pounced off the building. The Spartan followed, as she asked, jumping headfirst toward the floor and straightening up. He watched as the other two followed, with Rex screaming bloody murder as he fell... The bunker detonated with a spew of dust and fire and smoke. The Spartan straightened his descent, approaching Ahsoka and going ahead of her, then he flipped himself over as he saw the floor come quicker. Spinning about, he activated his jetpack. The thundering hum of the engine kicked in and he caught Ahsoka mid-flight, before touching down on his feet and running away from the debris. Her eyes went wide as she stared at him, being held in a bridal carry and all...

He set the girl down, then drew his DMR and used the scope to see how far away Skywalker and Rex were. Before he could scope them in, Skywalker landed first, before using... Some kind of telekinetic power to catch Rex and set him down beside them. Dust kicked up and covered the area, but, thankfully, the Spartan was unaffected. He watched as Skywalker and Rex emerged from the dust cloud and approached him and Ahsoka...

"So... That was fun." Skywalker grinned. "I like your style, Six."

"Yeah... Just... Next time, General, tell me to jump." Rex noted, dusting himself off. The Spartan ignored their laughter, before turning to Skywalker and asking "Do you have a possible number of enemies? Armaments they possess? How many of those droids they can produce?" to which the man's brows quirked up. The seriousness of the Trooper before them made Anakin reconsider first impressions. This wasn't a simple mercenary... His gear and armor should've said as much.

"We don't have exact figures, but we've identified several outposts and the location of enemy AA Guns." He shrugged. "Why?"

"... Because I figured that, if this is a planetary invasion, as those ships in the back lead me to believe," The Spartan pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the Acclamator-class Transport Ships floating in low atmosphere "You would have some sort of intel... So you don't dive headfirst into the hellfire of Anti-Air and Anti-Infantry guns like this. At least you know where the Triple-A is. And if that's the case, we can take it out... Do you still have ships you can divert over here? Transports to assist our assault?"

... Noticing her Master and Captain Rex seemed off after a little bit of a burn like that, Ahsoka Cleared her throat, making Six turn toward her and squint as she spoke "Our objective right now is to rendezvous with the other Jedi Masters and their troop formations at Point Rain. The assault on the Spire Fortress defending the enemy droid foundry can begin from there." with a rather smug air about her... Six nodded, then looked to Anakin and Rex.

"Tell your men I'm taking point." He simply stated, before walking off ahead as the Clones of the Platoon caught up with them.

One of the troopers stepped up beside Rex and asked "Sir, who the hell was that?"

"Said his name's Six. And that he's taking point." Rex shrugged. He looked to a pouting Ahsoka and a still-stunned Skywalker and asked "Sirs, what's your take on this guy?" before tilting his head toward the Spartan, whom had drawn his SRS-99/95 to scope in a possible advance route. He watched as multiple, presumably enemy, aircraft swept in toward one point in the middle of the desert. A circle barricade formed of gunships and walker tanks...

"... You people surprise me more and more the deeper I go into checking your tech..." The Spartan murmured, before scoping in a strange, twin teardrop-shaped fighter diving toward them. The canopy had one of the ugliest bugs the Spartan had seen since Reach... Ahsoka gasped as she moved toward him... But when the bug took the gun-run approach... Six's sniper rifle rang and the canopy shattered. The aircraft veered to the left, spinning through the air and beginning to burn... It slammed into the ground next to the Spartan with a thundering detonation.

The Spartan stood up, lowered his SRS and looked to Ahsoka, who seemed shocked. As was everyone else, really. What, wasn't it common for a man in armor to snipe a bug out of a cockpit? He waved them forward, then pointed toward the LZ being defended by their fellow troopers. As they marched forth, walking by the cliff face, the Spartan heard the telltale roar of Flamers

Looking up, he saw several of the same ugly bugs flying out, ablaze from Flamethrower troopers... And as a semi-human general with a cone-shaped head marched out with his troops, the Spartan found himself receiving several guns and Flamethrowers pointed at him. He ignored them, drawing his Sniper again as Ahsoka and the others worked to calm the troopers down. He knelt, aimed down the scope and saw the approaching Droids...

"Six, what're you doing?" Ahsoka asked, stepping up beside him. He raised his left hand and showed Ahsoka to be quiet for a moment... Zeroing in on one of the ships going for a strafe run on the position, the Spartan's rifle thundered. Another canopy broke, another bug died and its fighter slammed into its neighbor, detonating both of them midair. The young Jedi Padawan's eyes went wide upon seeing Six's round having hit its intended target and gained a bonus.

The Spartan checked his magazine, noticing one round left plus one in the chamber. He slapped the mag back in and slid the weapon on his back, before showing the Jedi trio to follow him to the Landing Point. Skywalker took to his side and asked "You just hit two impossible shots... How?" before he gazed upon the Jedi and drew his Energy Sword.

"Simple. Training." The Soldier answered with a shrug. "Practice makes perfect, the saying goes."

Brows raised, the Jedi approached him and Ahsoka seemed a tad shocked at the blase attitude of the soldier. The group dashed toward the LZ, reinforced by the Flamer squad and another unit of Clone Troopers... Six had a nagging feeling he knew this place. He _did. _It was an oooooooold Childhood show of his late great grandparents. He still recalled them showing it to him... But he firmly couldn't recall their faces... _Star Wars:The Clone Wars._ The place was about as non-tactical as it came, but the Spartan did expect it to be...

As they made it to the Targeted Landing Area, Six's rifle barked and droids fell, gunned down by precision shots. Powering his Energy Sword and charging into a slew of droids, the man gutted them with direct slashes and strikes reminiscent of the movement of an Elite, but with more human grace added into the mix as he sliced through them.

Hearing the whir of engines, he looked up to see an approaching squadron of Y-Shaped bombers deploying their payload onto the Droids and their transport and attack vehicles, much to the cheer of those Clones present. He approached where Ahsoka and Skywalker were, with the conehead. They were seated next to a ginger man with a thick beard and armored shoulders and arms. The man regarded Six with a hint of surprise, before asking "Just what else did you drag with you, Anakin?"

"... We... Kinda found him wandering the Droid Lines, killing droids." Ahsoka noted, giving an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah, but he's been a great help so far... Even if he's a little eccentric." Anakin noted, looking at Six. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. We've much to do, still." Six noted, looking back at the ray-shielded Fortress spire defending the only crossing toward an alien foundry that produced combat mechs and droids... He was down to two rounds in his current Sniper mag as he watched a squadron of enemy birds squawking as they tried to retreat. He knelt, drew his rifle again and Kenobi raised a brow.

"Is he gonna try to-" The man cut off as the Spartan's gun thundered. Twice. One of the ships lost one of its thrusters, while another began spinning uncontrollably. Six wasn't trying to kill them, but they needed to learn not to fly in a straight line when he was around. Removing the empty mag from his rifle, loading in a fresh one and putting the gun on his back, the Spartan turned to Kenobi and helped him up.

"Name's Six. You are?" The Spartan tilted his head to Kenobi.

"General Kenobi. A pleasure to meet you... Six...?" The man chuckled "Anakin does have a habit of bringing about strays."

"Wonder what that says about the Alien." Six tilted his head to Ahsoka and watched as Kenobi's eyes went wide, before turning about and saying "I'll find somewhere to sit tight and wait for one of you to explain to me where the hell I am. Until then, deal with your usual." as he strolled off toward an AT-TE six-legged Walker Tank and sitting down next to its middle leg. He fucking hated the thought he wasn't home anymore and couldn't, for the life of him, figure out where he was...

Oh, well... Might as well just make a fight out of this one... He wasn't gonna go and die as easy as that anyways...

Ahsoka approached him, a bit dirtied by dust and such, but still walking. He looked up at her, then asked "Can I help you, Alien Gal?" before watching her take a seat in front of him with a grin. Tilting her head, the girl noted "You're possibly one of the most xenophobic people we've met so far. How many remarks was that?" in a snarky tone. Six rolled his eyes.

"Nowhere near what I should be saying." He stated.

"And yet you haven't even shot me. Cute." The girl mocked, smirking.

"Shooting someone when you're outnumbered by said someone's allies is not a sound strategic decision. Then again, nor was you guys landing the way you did, but... Let's leave that out of it for now. Where am I?" He asked, noticing how the girl's expression shifted from snarky pride to actual, genuine surprise. Like he'd just said the dumbest thing in the world... It irked him.

"You're on Geonosis... It's a Separatist controlled planet." She stated. "What, you don't know how you got here?'

"... Frankly, even if I knew, it wouldn't be much use... So, Seppies own Geonosis again..." He said. "Do you people still need soldiers around? Or at least some decent officers?"

"Think you fit the bill of 'decent', Six?" Ahsoka's grin returned. Six shrugged, to which she said "Oh, come off it, I'd say you'd be fine. Just gotta drop the xenophobia down a notch."

"... Yer asking me the impossible." He hummed... And Ahsoka snorted.

"Sure?"

"Yeah... For the time being, Tails." He returned the snark. And Ahsoka felt her Lekku, blushing. She pouted at him...

"Joke's on you. These are awesome." She pointed at them... Six hummed, then leaned forward and squinted at them, his visor polarizing to zoom in. Not really useful at all, save for the cute fa-... He'd stop right there, backing off slightly. He felt something clink in his left chest pocket and he slid his hand into it, before stopping... Four Dog Tag sets, their aluminum clinking together... He took a moment of silence, before stowing them back in the pocket as she raised a brow, then asked "You doing alright?"

"Fine." He said calmly... She pursed her lips. She'd seen the dog tags... So he must've lost some comrades... "Hey." She spoke to him, taking his attention to her. She gave him a smile "Despite the trash-talking, if you ever need someone to talk to, Six, you got me around. Like you quipped, we're both strays our master picked up, so... You know."

"Thanks..." Six hummed. "I'll keep that in mind." He stood up, then extended his hand toward Ahsoka and said "C'mon. I think your master will need us." gazing upon her, the sunlight hitting his back... The giant soldier before her extended her a hand in a sing of friendship... Or maybe just a temporary alliance... Ahsoka wanted to find out what made this guy so xenophobic, so for now... She gladly took his hand, standing up...


	2. Desert Thunder

Six scanned the surrounding skyline as they prepared to assault the shield wall. He drew his Spartan Laser from his arsenal, followed by stowing his AR on his back, before dropping the rest of the gear(save for his pistol and Energy Sword) onto the crate beside him. He walked up to Ahsoka, Rex and Kenobi as they were briefing the clones about the assault, meanwhile scanning the hills around for the upcoming assault... He remembered faint details about Geonosian Spires from once seeing the movies or something... He'd been a kid when his father, now a long-gone, faint memory, had introduced him to Star Wars. And with him, many of those memories died...

He looked onto the holographic map as he got into the circle with everyone else. Ahsoka nodded to him and he nodded back, before the girl noticed the large directed-energy weapon in his right hand. Six took a moment to look over the plan again, before sighing. "This won't work... Frontal Assault?" He looked to the Jedi Generals, before pointing at the surrounding area around the tower. Multiple valleys. "I'd suggest a three-prong attack."

"Most of these valleys are chock-full of Geonosians." Skywalker pointed out. "How're you gonna get past them?"

"Simple..." Six nodded, patting his Spartan Laser "_Boil _them. Maybe make a nice soup too." and with a proud, almost deranged grin hidden under his helmet, he hefted the Spartan Laser into a better position on his shoulder. He saw Ahsoka purse her lips for a moment, averting eye... Or 'VISOR' contact, while Kenobi seemed surprised and Skywalker... Well, he seemed pretty horrified.

"Having trouble, General?" The Spartan asked nonchalantly.

"No... So, what do you suggest?" Anakin shook his head. He shot a glance toward Rex, who seemed calm enough... Six was right. A forward assault would result in a lot of casualties... Their tanks could pass almost unhindered, but that didn't mean the Infantry had the same chances. What with the heavy arty on that hill? The man could swear he saw a faint grin behind the Visor...

"I take forward. You split your forces into two and attack from the sides, through the valleys... Hit the generator with your tanks' cannons before the fuckers even understand what got to them." The Spartan suggested. "I can make a bang loud enough to basically take the Geos' attention toward me. If the bugs and bots think they've got enough firepower on that hill to stop me, let'em try."

"Brave words for a single soldier..." Rex noted "But insanity won't get you anywhere."

Six looked over to the man and calmly stated "I'm fairly aware of that, Captain. Wouldn't have survived alone on being crazy." before denoting "If you want to lessen the casualties sustained by your brothers, in arms or otherwise, I can distract them." and looked around "Unless anyone has objections to me going head-first into enemy fire while you outflank their guns and take them from behind, I'd say we get to it before dusk."

"I'm going with." Ahsoka noted, arms crossed and poker face on...

The Spartan looked to her and said "The hell you are."

"Why not?" The girl shrugged "You'll get an extra Lightsaber to cover your behind while the Tanks get in."

"... I'm literally gonna jump into the heaviest guns these assholes have. You really wanna take a pot shot at dying with me, Tails?" The Spartan shifted his entire body to look at the girl, who glared at him for a moment, but he continued nonetheless "Because I'm encased in an armor set that weighs a good couple tonnes by itself. If you were to get hit, I'd be able to get you out by hauling your battered ass out of the line of fire while, if I got hit, you'd be like a sitting duck trying to drag what equates to an eight-foot pillar of reinforced concrete and rebar. If they fired their big guns at us, I'd be able to brunt a shot. You would be a smear on the sand." And he saw her expression shift from anger to a hint of surprise. "So if you really wanna take one for the team, be my fuckin' guest. One less Xeno would ease whatever time I have left in this world, but your comrades would probably cut it shorter than I'd like."

... Despite the xenophobic tone, the girl actually felt a hint of worry in his voice. She simply grinned, then said "Oh, I'm gonna be right there. If only to see you as my walking cover piece." With a wink. Anakin and Kenobi looked over to each-other and the latter shrugged, grinning. Rex chuckled and Six? He took a moment... Before noting "You've got some guts, Tails." and he shifted his gaze toward the Generals.

"Gotta have a talk with him about the Xenophobia... Guess we've got nothing to lose. Keep her safe, would you, Six?" Skywalker offered. "She does tend to disrespect orders."

"Hey!" Ahsoka pouted.

Six nodded, then said "I won't make any promises, but I'll keep her alive." and turned to the girl "Come along. We've shit to kill." walking away with the girl in tow toward their starting positions. Later on in the day, the Spartan regarded the scarlet dome shield ahead of him and his aide with nothing but calm. Ahsoka didn't see him flinch once and, if he knew what a shield like this was, he probably would've. Hefting the Spartan Laser up on his shoulder and grabbing it with both hands, he nodded to Ahsoka, readied the weapon and tapped his helmet... A small, thrumming guitar started playing into his ears as he grinned... _Ready to Die _blared into his helmet...

With an unnoticeable, but wide grin on his face, the Spartan nodded to the girl and... Forward he went, charging and kicking up a plume of dust and smoke as his boots ground against the sand. Ahsoka tailed him, but was lagging behind the enhanced soldier, to the point she needed to use the force to push herself forward. As they burst through the shields, Six's own armor-borne Energy Shields flared to the point the Spartan saw them slightly overcharge... Ohohohoh! Fuck yeah!

The first spire ahead of him began rinsing the ground the duet ran through with Blaster Fire. Rocks were struck by bolts of superheated plasma and the Spartan's own shields were hit. Ahsoka managed to deflect several strikes, before taking cover. She watched Six brake and raised his Spartan laser, aiming it. A small, flickering, scarlet laser was visible through the dust... Aimed right for the Spire. Ahsoka watched the weapon charge up energy, then... A lance of scarlet energy burst through the smoke and sand, slicing clean across the spire's center and cutting through to the other side.

Ahsoka's eyes went wide as she saw the strike. A blur passed by her and she looked around for Six, only to see him ahead of her. She grinned, then jumped over the cover and followed him, Lightsaber drawn and deflecting blasters. The Spartan raised his Laser again to fire on the run as he noticed gun turrets on the edge. His second shot gutted both gun turrets. He exchanged the weapon for the rifle on his back, before aiming and sending a burst of AR fire down range. Ahsoka cut down a Geo that got a hint too close behind Six. He swiveled about and fired a burst over Ahsoka's head, cutting down another two bugs, before punching through a third's chitinous plating and leaving a pretty nasty fist-sized hole in it.

He nodded to the girl, who nodded back with a grin. From where they were, they could see the enemy's shield emitters. An emerald wave of fire struck his armor and his shields flared and went critical, but stayed up. He growled as he looked at another gun turret to his left. Along it, four Walker AT/AA Guns with barrels wider than him. He glared at them, drew his Spartan laser, knelt and aimed at the ammo supply behind them. Ahsoka gasped as she saw one of the tanks fire. Six rolled out of the way as a detonation hit where he once was, kicking up smoke and dust and sending Ahsoka falling onto her ass.

Yet her eyes went wide when a laser shot lanced forward right into the ammo pit and ignited most of the Tibana gas cells behind it. To say the explosion was spectacular was an understatement... The dust kicked up by the blast wave, which itself reverberated into Ahsoka's bones and the detonation itself destroyed the cannons it served in a fireball. And she saw Six emerge from the smoke and surge forward, jumping and slamming down a pair of Geonosians that were trying to take flight... Before beating one with the other to death.

Ahsoka half had to stop and double over, looking at the Spartan as his AR chattered. Several droids fell and more Geonosians dropped out of the sky, their blood splattering. the walls. He watched one try to claw him, then grabbed it mid-flight, snapped its arm off and shoved it down its throat, before pinning it to the floor and stomping on it _twice_ with his boot, leaving a brownish-yellow imprint of blood on the sand below. He stowed the rifle on his back and drew his oversized Bowie Knife and threw it, pinning two Geonosians to the stone face. He charged them...

Grabbing the knife and painting the wall yellow, the Spartan sheathed the weapon, before drawing his pistol and aiming toward another one... The shot rung out and it killed another bug, dropping it on top of two of its friends, which Six proceeded to execute with little remorse... He stowed the weapon, drew a Fragmentation grenade and hurled it into an ammo dump. Another high-powered explosion gutted the mountainside... And the Spartan regarded the Shield Spire and its dishes as they were pounded by heavy Blaster fire.

The Spartan saw the Republic Tanks advance and he returned to Ahsoka, only to see her on her ass still... He extended his hand, then said "What's the matter, Tails? Trip over a rock?" to which the girl stared on, a hint shocked at how... Nonchalant the man seemed to be after the show of force he just put up. The song flicked off in his helmet. Within the span of _Ready to Die _by Andrew WK, Noble Six had just murdered an entire Alien outpost's worth of armed forces. The girl swallowed, then took his hand and found herself hoisted up. She dusted herself off and looked over to the Spartan as he watched the tanks approach... And above, several Gunships coming down to land as the shield vanished.

"I'll go to my cot, now. If you guys and gals need a murderous psychopath anywhere near, just call..." The Spartan quipped "I may or may not be busy carving up one of those bugs to see what makes them tick." and with that horrifying line, he stepped off. This guy just didn't quit with the weirdness. Pursing her lips and choosing not to pry further, Ahsoka stepped off toward the Gunships.

Six started a climb over onto the other side of the hill where the Spire was. He leaned against the scarlet-orange sandy rock of the spire, then looked forward. Before him, an even larger spire, with a chasm that had only one bridge leading to a set of plated, armored garage doors. One good Havok would nail that fucking thing and all the bugs inside... So that was their target. Seemed like an easy nut to crack...

"Yo... Six!" He heard Ahsoka's voice. "We got a new girl joining us!"

... Fucking great...


	3. The Factory

A green-skinned pair of women greeted Six, with one of them, about Ahsoka's age, nodding to him with a smile. The Spartan elected to listen to the undergoing briefing from a distance, a hint of mistrust visible in what little movement he made while listening. Ahsoka and Barriss' objective was simple. Infiltrate through the catacombs, plant the bombs and proceed to get the hell out of dodge. He racked the bolt of his rifle and watched them approach him. Ahsoka crossed her arms and smirked, allowing the Spartan to turn and notice her.

"... Let me guess, I have to come with?" Six asked, lowering his weapon. "If that's the case, I need to bring up the rear. I wont' fit so well in tight catacombs."

"We'll unlodge ya if need be." Ahsoka quipped. "Now, c'mon. We've got quite the descent."

... Six had to stay calm for now. He understood his own feelings regarding being revived after his death better than anyone, but he'd done what amounted to treason by agreeing to cooperate with a foreign army. Unless he wanted the UNSC to openly hunt him down, were they ever to find him here, he needed to have a good alibi if he was to encounter ONI spooks around. But for now, cooperation was key for his own survival and ability to return home...

He was the first down the wall that was part of the canyon separating the main Republic Army from the Factory itself. He looked up at the bridge as the two Jedi girls joined him, listening for the thunder of metallic footsteps. He had put on his game face, pretty much. That meant no more jokes, no more stupid mistakes, no more being shaken by revival... if he wanted to survive and win, he had to return to his old self...

He nodded to the girls, drawing one of the two weapons he brought along for this operation. Close Quarters would basically be a necessity in tight underground quarters the likes of the Catacombs, so he'd brought his Energy Sword and Assault Rifle with him on this one. He had also attached a flashlight to the weapon, in case they'd need it... The trio approached the wall and Six posted up next to the hole Ahsoka had begun to cut with her lightsaber.

She pulled back the half-melted rock face, tossing it aside and nodded to the Spartan. He went in first, rifle raised and crouching, on his back the pack of explosives needed to blow the factory sky-high. The trek began in earnest with the Spartan having to basically wiggle through the first corridor, rifle at the ready and one hand wrapped around the Energy Sword's hilt, waiting any sign that it required activation.

The catacombs were a narrow set of hive-like tunnels that spun, twisted and turned... Six took a Left and the girls followed.

"Uhm... Six? We should be following Barriss's directions, right?" Ahsoka asked.

"He's going down the correct path, Ahsoka." Barriss nodded, watching as the man moved with precision. A professionalism emanated from his every step and his silence was in stark contrast to his joker attitude when they first met. Ahsoka hummed, then nodded, probably having noticed that the Spartan acted more serious now... He raised a hand, showing the girls to stop. The two peeked over his shoulders, only to see awake Geonosians...

The Spartan searched his belt, pulling out a rounded, blue object with odd symbols on it. He managed to find a tight, but nice fit for him to the right. He showed the girls to go forward, before placing the small round object on the floor and tapping the top. He motioned to them to move fast, squeezing himself through a narrow tunnel... And the Plasma Grenade he had set up detonated with a muffled hiss, melting the Bugs and what was around them... To a degree...

"I... Don't think that was necessary." Barriss observed, somewhat shocked.

"One at least would've awoken or heard us pass and went to warn others. They know these tunnels better than anyone who studied the maps because they built them. Walls were thick enough in their sleeping spot not to collapse and they muffled the blast. I dispatched a risk." The Spartan said coldly, continuing his advance "C'mon. We've got an L-Junction leading upward..." before making it to the dead-end. He climbed onto it, before turning to assist the two surprised Jedi... They clearly weren't used to operating with precision.

The Trooper and the Jedi soon emerged into the center of the Factory:the Reactor Core... The Spartan was the first up, with the Explosive packs at the ready, he moved and placed them around the reactor, tossing some to the girls. The devices were linked to a detonator in Ahsoka's belt, so they'd have time to be a safe distance away before shit blew...

He heard some overhead bulk doors open up... On the catwalks above, a squadron of Security Units, possibly Droids, appeared. And upon noticing them, they turned their weapons. The Spartan raised his AR to greet them, but the wave of Plasma-based projectiles sent him into cover, his shields flaring. He once again bounced out of cover, firing a burst from his Assault Rifle, enough to nail one droid... While another called for backup.

A burst of Plasma fire struck his shoulder, punching through the shield and nearly burning through the plating. He ducked back into cover, then called out "I hope the bombs are set!"

The two girls emerged, hands only wielding lightsabers as they blocked and redirected the Droids' projectiles. He stood up and, with the cover from the girls, started taking down the Platoon-sized unit that engaged them, his finger never leaving the trigger. He heard the main bulkhead door on the left open and turned his rifle, reloading a new magazine and firing... Only for the rounds to bounce off the front plate of a snail-looking tank...

"NEW CONTACT, LEFT!" He said, watching as another one of those bugs... Well, multiple, appeared... He emptied his rifle on those flyers approaching to grab the bombs, before bursts of energy made his shields flare once again... And die with the second shot. The Tank's cannons focused solely on him, it seemed. And round after round that threatened to punch through his armor struck him, forcing him to take cover once again behind the reactor.

Ahsoka and Barris joined him behind cover... He looked to them and said "Think you two can distract that thing?"

"What's your plan?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, we clearly cannot detonate the charges with these assholes breathing down our necks... So... We either take them out, or get in that tank and hope it's blast-proof." He mused, then murmured to himself "God, I miss Carter. He came up with actually good plans..." in dismay. He drew his Energy Sword, then ignited it, much to the surprise of the girls...

"That's... A really weird Lightsaber." Ahsoka noted.

"Indeed..." Barriss nodded.

"'Cuz it's not one of your toys... This thing's worse than any Lightsaber... More of a precision tool like a scalpel." He said, only letting them wince before speaking "Okay, ready?"

The two nodded quickly...

He stood to his feet, then said "GO!" surging forth as the tank's cannons opened fire again. His shields recharged as he finally got the rhythm of the cannons' firing, enabling him to dodge both shots as he ran... That, and the girls providing a distraction... He jumped atop the tank, stabbed into its top armor with the superheated plasma blade... He cut a neat hole into the top, before jumping inside and kicking down both droids.

He looked around the tank's command superstructure, watching as the girls jumped inside, before suggesting "If it's one, it's a dozen... And I feel like this one tank came to meet us the moment those Droids called for backup... So how about we go back up your army with this big girl before we blow the place to hell?" and taking the stick. The two girls looked at each-other, then shrugged.

"I hope tanks in your world suffer from the same problems as those in my world..." Six murmured to himself, bringing the giant Snail-Tank about. A short trip gunning down droids through the Factory brought them up the rear of a formation of around a dozen Tanks... The Spartan looked over weapons systems and, upon noticing the Tank's Mortars, had a devious grin cross his lips.

He turned the guns on, aiming at the line of enemy Supertanks, before arranging it and saying "Fire, ten!" As he let loose the entire armament. And indeed, out of sheer dumb luck, the Plasma Cannons of the vehicle scored several hits on an unshielded rear section of the enemy's vehicles, setting ablaze their anti-grav engines. The Spartan then let loose a wave of Mortars from the vehicle's top onto the front row of tanks. Explosive rounds slammed into the bridge with extreme prejudice.

Several of the tanks slowly turned about... And Six could swear he heard the hum of other tanks behind them. He peeked out through the hole he'd cut through the top, watching as more, smaller Hovertanks, these ones with turrets, advanced toward them. Their guns opened up and Six felt the tank buckle. He looked over to the girls and said "Blow the dets! Now!"

"What?! But we're still in the blast zone!" Ahsoka bellowed.

"I know, Tails! Just do it!" Six returned, pulling out his rifle and opening fire. Bullets pinged off the durasteel armor harmlessly, to the point he wondered if anything could cut through. He gritted his teeth, dropping back into the tank as the blasts began reverberating through the spire-like building. He powered on his Armor's servos to maximum, before raising his hands up and locking his armor as the factory collapsed above them... Then all was darkness...

... Ahsoka shook her head to clear the concussion, before going for her belt... She pulled out her Lightsaber and powered it, asking worriedly "Six? Barriss?" and coughing. The emerald light washed over Six's armored legs... The woman panned the blade upward and looked at the Spartan. His armor crackled with static and its strange energy shields flared a bit as small stone fragments from above pinged against it... But he was holding up a substantial amount of debris.

"Wow..." The Togruta padawan mused...

"Ugh... What just..." Barriss started, then gazed up and froze. "Six... Are you okay?"

"Decent..." The Spartan strained out the word. "Any time you two wanna ping the rescue team... I'd appreciate not having to hold the ceiling up..." And he eyed his Tacpad, his head locked in place by his helmet. Ahsoka stood up, then looked over the device as it lit up, then looked to Six. He spoke "My armor can boost the signal... Just power it on from the Tacpad."

Ahsoka nodded, trying to tap a few lines in, before a scarlet error streaked across the screen. "Uh..."

"Shit..." The Spartan swore silently. "I forgot this damn thing needs my armor unlocked to do anything..."

"Your armor's locked?" Barriss bemusdedly asked, looking at him.

"Yes... Safety precaution, in case of situations like this..." He explained to the Jedi, still straining. "Now, any other ideas? Because I'm open to anything that doesn't involve us getting crushed by God-knows how many tonnes of rock and metal..." And he heard Ahsoka drop to the floor again. Oxygen levels, according to diagnostics, were low as it was in their little airtight grave... He had enough reserves to live... The Aliens, though?

He sighed, then asked "Hey, girls?"

"Yeah?" The two voiced in unison as Ahsoka worked on something.

"You know? This was pretty fun. Reminds me of the old days..." He quipped, then grinned "Aside from working with aliens. But you two did hold your own."

"Heh... Still xenophobic, are ya?" Ahsoka quipped, looking up at him. He wanted to nod, but instead he spoke a grunt of approval. Ahsoka smiled sheepishly, then said "Well, you ain't half bad either... For a tin man."

He snorted "Call me that again and I'm dropping this."

"You two can joke at a time like this?" Barriss asked, leaning against the wall next to Ahsoka. Her new padawan friend shrugged, pulling off her com-link and breaking it in two. She then pointed at a power cell on the wall and asked "Hand me that, will you, Barriss?" making Six hum. She must've known something that Six didn't, so for now... He'd let her do her thing.

His head was throbbing at this point, but ignoring the pain was the best ting. That and maintaining focus on his armor's diagnostics. It was an irritating wait, either for hidraulics to collapse or... Well, to hopefully be rescued. But going by current events, that was not going to happen any time soon... He hated dying like this, in a nameless grave, in a fucking ditch on some godforsaken planet nowhere near Reach of his own people's, helping defend against the Covenant... His entire team was dead... He should've gone out swinging back on Reach...

He sighed, turning his eyes onto the two girls... At least as best as he could see them, both holding up those damn energy blades of theirs to light up the way... He'd have let his shoulders sag. First two aliens he encountered that didn't immediately wanna put him into the ground and now here he was, trying to save them and... Well, failing... Shit like this kicked even a Spartan down...

He paused from his self-induced self-hatred to listen... The whirr and creak of machines came from above... Republic Drop Ships, going by the engines... They were close... He grinned... Time to take a risk. He looked to them, then spoke "Get below me! Now! I can hear them!" and he watched the two scramble wordlessly below him, shutting off their energy blades and gasping for air... He unlocked his armor, then cocked back his left hand, balling the fingers into a fist and slamming it _hard _against the top... The metal creaked and the sound reverb was loud... His grin widened as he did it again.

"_... over here!"_

_"Sounds like someone's hammering metal!" _

Clone Voices... He nodded to the girls, then struck again. And again. And again.

"_Generals! Captain! Commander! We found them!"_

The Spartan pushed now, instead of letting his armor do the work. He shifted his stance, bent his knees slightly, then with all strength, pushed upward and lifted with both of his arms. A Gunship's magnetic clamps attached to most of the rubble, pulling it aside and allowing for the Spartan to toss the layer that he had been holding up aside, bringing the hazy, orange sun of the desert planet into view.

Five Clone troopers appeared over the edge of the tank, two of which were medics. The Spartan sighed in relief, letting his hands slump by his body as the two Jedi stood to their feet, then he spoke snarkly "Took you fellas long enough..." before starting to climb out of the debris, helping the two girls behind him along. As they got to the top of the ravine, Skywalker and Unduli came to greet them... Six nodded to them as the girls went to be checked by the medics, before he spoke aloud "Your kids are adept at following orders... Even if it's from some foreign guy."

Skywalker grinned, then quip "Well, you _did _nearly just kill them, so I'm sure they're bound to think twice next time."

"They'd better." Six hummed, sliding a hand into the bottom pocket of his rig. "So... What's next?"

"I still can't believe you can joke about near-deaths like that, Skywalker..." Unduli hummed quietly.

"Well, next? We still have to clear the planet. Find Poggle the Lesser." The 501st's General maintained a gutsy grin. "Willing to help?"

Rex stepped up, then said "Afraid that may not be possible, sirs. Direct com-link from the Jedi Order." and he looked to Six before continuing "They're asking about the new guy we got aboard. Want us to send him over to Coruscant ASAP."

The Spartan and Generals looked to one another, before he turned to Rex and said "So, the Order wants to talk to me? Huh..." Oh, this was gonna be interesting. Most certainly interesting if nothing else. Guess Moscow... Err... Coruscant... was Calling. Rex motioned to the Generals and Spartan to follow him, before walking toward where their trio of Assault Ships was landed. The Generals couldn't technically leave the battlefield, so they needed another escort... Huh, Six wondered who'd get the job.

"Hey!" Ahsoka yelled from behind them. Six and Skywalker turned, before the girl, who still had part of the medical equipment attached to her arm, spoke "Ya gonna leave without saying goodbye?"

Six and Skywalker looked to each-other... And the General grinned. He turned to Ahsoka. And Six already knew where this was going... Skywalker started "Well, Snips, y'see? Big guy over here was called up to Coruscant, to the Temple and we apparently need to prep him to leave. Decontamination and what-have-ya, but me and Luminara can't exactly leave the battlefield, so..."

"... Oh..." Ahsoka grinned. "Sure, we'll escort the guy. Right, Barriss?"

"Yes, of course... If it's no problem, master." Barriss popped up from behind Ahsoka, looking to her own master.

Luminara smiled, at both Skywalker and the girls, then said "It will be no problem, Barriss. Take care of yourselves, girls."

"We will." Ahsoka nodded. "So, _Tin Man_..." She smirked "Ya didn't ditch us yet."

"No, I didn't, Tails." He grinned behind his visor. "No, I didn't." And he turned back for the ships. "Let's scram already. I'm sick of all this fucking sand. Shit's coarse, rough and it gets everywhere." as he walked forward. The two girls joined in behind him, with jaunty walks. Skywalker rubbed the back of his neck and Luminara crossed her arms, watching them walk away...

Oh, joy, oh joy, here we go...


	4. Prologue End:Starbound

**_AN:Okay, so for anyone wondering, I will be doing rewrites of the first couple of chapters of this story to make it somewhat more coherent. But for now, I intend on getting slightly farther into the story before worrying about that. So, enjoy. (Yes. I skipped the mind controlling worms chapter because I wanted to set Six off on his quest early, to advance the Plot and it wouldn't have made sense in this story to show those things taking over Clones on Six's transport... Anyways, enjoy!)_**

* * *

_As a new age is set to begin, the Ways of Old must apprehend..._

Six watched the skyline of the city-planet of Coruscant with awe. Not even in his wildest dreams would he have seen anything like this. Nor in real life, built by the UNSC. A massive world, covered by a city spanning almost its entirety. It was a terrifying beauty, to a degree. And an ONI agent's went dream. So many places to lose the law enforcement and local military...

Probably the most awe-inspiring features of the "Capital" section of the place were the Senate's dome-like building and the pyramid-shaped Jedi Temple. Where one held the politicians playing with the lives of thousands of planets. Maybe millions. The Spartan watched the sprawling megalopolis... Or could he call it a planetopolis? Vanish as the small Drop Ship made its way into the hangar to the hallowed grounds of the Jedi Temple. He felt the vehicle decelerate, then heard the metal clang of its landing skids touching the floor, before turning to Ahsoka and Barriss. The two girls chatted up the whole flight here...

He decided to keep his distance this time. Standing, the Spartan turned to the door, watching as the clones in red-striped armor stepped aboard, weapons on their backs. One of them, clad in similar armor to Rex's, saluted Ahsoka and Barriss, then said "Commanders. The Council's waiting for us." and eyed Six, smirking behind his helmet "Well, ain't you a tall one?"

"Taller than ya, bud." The Spartan quipped. "Lead the way."

As the group walked out into the hangar, Six's first sight was of Jedi Starfighters and other craft docked or landed within. Multiple rows thereof resided between the archs and pillars of the place, with Jedi iconography across them. Some starfighters were missing and Six could easily figure out why, considering he met a couple of generals already who probably carried their craft aboard their capital ships.

Entering the Hallways, the tall, arching windows that let through the light of Coruscant's sun. He saw children marching down the path with a Jedi Master of another alien species, probably all going for training. He had to admit, that had him slightly nostalgic. Days back on Onyx and whatnot. He stowed that thought for now. Whatever the Jedi wanted to talk about, it was probably not related to training.

Some of the kids stopped to look, awed at the marching titan walking beside two of the more well-known Padawans. The red carpets were left stained by orange sand from his boots, sand that almost didn't resemble the normal Geonosian one. Ahsoka had now noticed the contrasting between Six's armor and the sand on it. Black, with blue stripes and a red emblem on his chest. And golden sand with touches of ash covering his boots. Plus the armor was pockmarked by plasma scoring.

Some of the youngest kids waved to Six, those weird bucket helmets on their heads. He gave a quick salute to them as they walked past, before looking forward. Row upon row and shelf upon shelf of ancient tomes and books. The Library of the Jedi, he had to assume. Endearing and very interesting to look at. And there were Padawans and students browsing them. He had to admit, that must've been quite an extensive literary collection, so that meant each kid knew what they got themselves into.

"So." Ahsoka smirked. "What do you think of the temple?"

He scanned the main hall, its dozen pillars holding aloft the massive arched roof. He nodded "It's massive and spacious, I'll give it that." before eyeing the ground once again and looking directly at the Jedi symbol. "But surprisingly empty."

"Well, Jedi are raised and trained with a life devoid of materialism in mind." Barriss joined in.

"Fully give yourselves to the Order and the Force and somesuch, huh?"

"Yes."

The Spartan simply nodded, before showing the girls to lead the way. Down some stairs, then taking a left, they found an elevator that led up... And upon their arrival to the top, the Spartan was welcomed by the sight of a rounded, glass and steel room, with a dozen seats, in each one person. Some were holograms, of course, as was the case with them being in action on other planets.

A dark-skinned man nodded to the Padawans and the Spartan. He gave the Spartan a once-over and quipped "Are we sure that Skywalker didn't send us a droid?"

"I've got too many fleshy bits on me to be a tin-pot, with all due respect." Six returned. The eldest of the aliens, a small, Gremlin-looking creature, hummed, rubbing his own chin as he watched the Spartan. Little guy must've had quite the age margin on everyone else. The Spartan, in turn, looked to him. With a squint, the alien gremlin then laid back, his eyes fully open.

"A soldier, you are." He stated with a gruff voice, fit for his assumed age. "Sense it, I can."

"So can everyone else here." One of the others-humanoid, but with a more elongated head-Spoke. "Wherever he walks, death seems to follow."

"That a problem?" The Spartan eyed the other old Alien here, hand hovering over his pistol.

"No." The dark-skinned man spoke again, making Six turn toward him. "Quite the opposite, actually... Going by the You aren't one belonging to our Galaxy, are you?"

"What?" Ahsoka's brow quirked up "Master Windu, you can't..." And she turned to the Supersoldier, a brow raised and realization slowly coming to both her and Barriss, who stared at the man with awe. The Spartan looked back, then hummed. That made sense to some degree. Six would've probably recognized this many new Alien species in a row. The UNSC had explored a lot, even during the war.

He arranged one of his chest pouches, a light clinking coming from within, barely audible, then said "Well. That would certainly explain things..." calmly. He scanned the room, watching as the people waited to see his own reaction. The man fiddled with that same pocket with a jingle for a bit. One exit... Maybe two, but that depended on him surviving the fall from this high up. And the skyline was clearly visible through the window. They were up high...

"Calm yourself, you must." The elder Jedi alien spoke. "Feel your worry, I do."

"Thanks, that's kind..." Six hummed. His hand once again tensed. "Listen, I gotta ask... Why'd you folks decide to summon me to your place? For all you know, I could be some kinda enemy spy."

"You don't seem the type." Windu returned. "Plus, would a Spy help blow up the factory on Geonosis?"

"Or help us?" Ahsoka quipped.

"It was an example of how this could've been wrong, Tails..." He responded, pistol still hanging off of his hip. His weapons were back aboard a shuttle nearby, if he recalled correctly, so he'd get them if anything went wrong... He continued, "Anyways, what am I doing here? Does the grand ol' Jedi Order have some kinda need for a trained Assassin nowadays?"

"No, we were interested in seeing what those on Geonosis reported... And I must say, young man, you do not disappoint." Windu spoke calmly. "That armor is most certainly no tech belonging to any armed force, major or otherwise, in the Galaxy."

"Standard, considering most of you aren't even wearing armor in Combat." Six nonchalantly added...

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, then said "We doing this now, Six?"

"Nah, just a tip for all y'all." He returned. "Anyways, I gotta ask again. _Why am I here? _Aside from making me think about the fact I'm not from around this Galaxy, what else would I, a trained killer, be amidst the Jedi Order, who are supposed peace keepers if I'm not wrong, for? Because I'm sure this isn't just a courtesy visit to show off my armor and kit to all of you."

"Intriguing to us, you are, young man."

"Quite."

The Spartan felt uneasy looking between the Jedi masters present. Many of them stayed silent, for one reason or another, letting only Windu and the other two talk. He noticed them eyeing him with a bit of worry. One held his gaze for a moment longer than he thought about it... They either weren't sure or... Six grinned a devilish grin behind his goddamn helmet "You're spread out too damn thin and you need a QRF... Someone who can get in and out and is easy to disavow if they get caught... And who better than someone who you have no prior history with, nor any knowledge about."

He laughed, noticing some of them go bug-eyed, while Windu remained passive, but hunched over forward... And the little one partly glared, partly stared dumbfound at Six... Noticing the stares, he continued "Peacekeepers who need a Black Op... Oh how the tables turn..." And he turned to a surprised Ahsoka and Barriss, who stared at their masters, their teachers around them, seemingly caught with their pants down... No, Six couldn't be right, could he...? And yet...? Six, grin withstanding, looked to the eldest of them all, the small one, then once again voiced "And going by your reactions, I hit the spot... But why would y'all need a Black Op? Because I figure Jedi don't do assassinations, political or otherwise."

Windu furrowed his brows at the Spartan, answering only with "We've got... Pressing matters that none of us can attend to. Rumors passing through the Galaxy about several... Shall we call them 'dead worlds'." And he straightened up straight. "Word of mouth about the Uncharted Sectors too. A Greater Evil than what we're currently facing is somewhere there."

"And you need me to check on these rumors, eh?" Six hummed. "Fair... Spartan-IIIs are meant to be expendable after all."

That garnered a couple of looks, from Ahsoka, Barriss and the elder one.

"Master Yoda..." Ahsoka looked over the elder, part of her trust broken "... How come we didn't know about this?"

"Only rumors, these are." Yoda answered, dismayed "Know anything certain, we do not."

"They probably didn't wanna cause panic." The Spartan said absentmindedly. "What kinda evil are we talking about, sirs?"

"... I doubt you've heard of the name Nihilus, have you, Noble Six?" Windu voiced, staring at him... Six saw the two Jedi girls freeze in place, all color drained from their faces. The Spartan shook his head, but a chill shot up his spine for the first time since he was a child, simply due to everyone's reactions. He figured this guy must've been a pretty big deal.

He looked to Ahsoka and Barriss and asked "Give me a run-down of who he is?"

"It..." Ahsoka murmured. "... Someone or... Some_thing _that existed a few millennia ago. Caused a lot of damage to the Old Republic... It was powerful enough to destroy planets just by sheer will. It fed on Force Powers and it could... Drain a person on the spot." She looked to Six. "Whatever it was, it used to be a creature made of flesh and blood like the rest of us, but... Nobody could explain what really happened."

"... I have a feeling I'm _not _gonna enjoy finding out the answer to that." Six whispered to himself. "And if I find... _IT._" He looked to the Masters "The fuck am I gonna do against that kind of creature? Because I don't know if bullets can harm it... Do I just hope that rumors stay rumors and I don't actually find it kicking around somewhere or..." And he sighed, realizing "Oh, God, you're sending the kids with me, aren't you...?"

"Wait..." Ahsoka stepped up "What?"

"I think they figure I'm gonna need a Jedi escort, so... Greetings be to thee, girls." He nodded, then looked over to the Masters "Lemme guess... No Masters to assign to my side to help me fight?"

"I'm afraid n-" Windu started, but stopped as the turbolift door opened... The Spartan and girls turned, with almost everyone in the room collectively gasping at the sight... A young beauty with pointed ears, blonde hair and pale skin stepped into the room, her Jedi Robe trailing her. The woman looked to her fellow masters, smiled, then turned to Six "So... You must be that young man..."

"... M-Master Fay?" Windu started, shocked. "What...?"

"Calm, Mace... I was guided back by a disturbance I felt." She spoke, giving Six a once-over. "... This is the one you're willing to send after those rumors, my fellows?" And she smiled "Don't worry, young man. You seem... Armed..."

"I... uh... I ain't worried." Six said. He leaned over to Ahsoka and whispered "Who's this?"

"... A Legend, honestly..." Ahsoka smiled "I think she'd be better off telling you herself."

Fay sighed, arranging her robes, before saying "If I may offer myself, I wish to join the young man and his Padawan friends on this journey."

"... Certain, you are?" Yoda inquired, brow raised.

"Most." She nodded. "They will more than likely need all the help."

The Jedi looked to each-other for a moment, seemingly taking in and agreeing, before they all turned to Six. And that meant _everyone_. The Spartan sighed, then said "I'd at least better get paid for this... I'm gonna need money and a ship to be able to get in and out, figure out a way around and, well, I'm also going to need Intel. Whatever information you can get me. Coordinates, contacts, targets, whatever you can get me to make my job easier..." Here he went again, serving a foreign Army instead of his own... Oh, well, survival.

"All will be available to you as you need them." Mace answered.

Six nodded "Right... Where to first?"

"First would be Corellia, in the Capital of Coronet, to meet with a Republic intelligence officer there, checking the rumors. He will have coordinates for your next target." Windu answered. "You will be given a c70 Consular-class Charger retrofit. She is new and as of yet unnamed, so we'll leave the naming to you. You will have weapons systems in case you need to defend yourselves. It has expanded space for almost everything you need, so you should have plenty of room for supplies."

"Thanks. Feel safer already..." Six murmured. "C'mon, girls. Let's go."

"One more thing, we must say." Yoda stated, making Six stop. "Thank you. Forgotten, this favor will not be..."

Six looked back, nodded and said "No problem... May as well make myself useful for if and when my own people arrive." before walking out. The trip back to the hangar was short, but the moment they arrived, they were greeted by the newly-landed Consular. With no paintjob whatsoever aside from some red lines, the ship itself had its newly attached armament being looked over by engineers... And that same Clone that came to greet Six and the girls stepped up in front of him.

"Sorry, Commanders, General." He nodded to Fay, Ahsoka and Barriss. "But the Chancellor said he wishes to meet our new arrival too."

"... Chancellor?" Six furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Sir. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic and leader of the Republic itself. I don't know for what reason he wishes to meet you, but he has asked that, as soon as you're done in the Temple, you come to him. Seems you stirred up everyone with your arrival." The Clone promptly explained. "If it's no problem, he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Fay looked to Six, then spoke calmly "Worry not. We can wait inside the ship until you return. This must be important."

Six hummed, then nodded and said "Alright... I'll be back as soon as I can. You girls prep the ship."

"Good luck, Tin Man." Ahsoka quipped.

"You too, Tails." He nodded, before walking off with the Clone Trooper. Boarding a Republic Gunship belonging to the Coruscanti Guard, the SPartan watched the Jedi temple fall farther and farther behind, while the Chancellery and the Senate itself. He hummed, watching as they approached one of the higher areas for landing and touched down. Blue, cape-wearing, Roman-looking Infantry stepped up beside some Coruscanti Guard troopers...

Six said nothing as he was taken through the decorated halls of the Senate and witnessed the Senators themselves milling about in their usual business. He took the elevator with his escorts and as he reached the top, he found a place covered in red velvet, tapestry and technology, with red carpets and a very well-done set of metal furniture. Walking through the main door, the soldier caught one glimpse of a hooded hologram in the Chancellor's com system before he shut it off... The old man who wore clothes similar to his surroundings stood up, smiling, then said "Ah! Greetings! You must be the man I've heard was called Six. Let me personally be the one to say 'welcome to the Republic'."

"Thank you, sir." Six nodded. He wasn't gonna be prompt about saluting because this man was not one of his own, nor was he EarthGov. He was gonna be respectful, however. Probably wouldn't wanna piss off a Galactic Governing Body's head, would you?

"Please, stay calm." The man spoke. He raised his hand toward one of the couches in the center of the place, urging Six to sit, and walked toward the one opposite. The Spartan hummed, walking toward it, before sitting himself down. Palpatine, in his own seat, said "I must say, you seem quite different from any normal Mercenary I've seen." and he eyed some of the symbols on his armor. Specifically, the UNSC Eagle...

"I'm not from around the bend, Chancellor." Six stated calmly. "The Jedi and I, myself, think I'm from a different Galaxy... Not really certain why or how I got here."

There was a flicker of surprise in the Chancellor's eyes. With a pause, the man looked over Six, then spoke "Where would you be from, then?"

"Sir. That's currently classified unless my own people clear me to tell people about it." The Spartan responded.

"Of course, of course." The Chancellor nodded "I wasn't expecting you'd tell someone you've only just met your story... Still, it is quite endearing to know I've met a possibly intergalactic being. You must understand this is to be kept quiet, yes?"

"Tell that to the Jedi." The Spartan hummed "They want me out and hunting for some boogeyman."

Palpatine hummed "Oh?"

"Someone or... Some_thing _called Nihilus." He spoke. And yet again, body language told Six that'd surprised the Chancellor even further...

"I see..." He murmured "And to do what if you find them?"

"I presume gun it down where it stands, if I'm lucky enough to live through its apparent life-draining ability." Six hummed. "If I'm _lucky _enough, the damn thing will have a cult or something..."

"I wouldn't worry. You seem capable of fighting, young man." Palpatine noted, a smile on his wrinkled face "I know we do not know each-other well enough, my boy, but I wish to offer something." He then added, extending Six a strange circular object. He maintained the smile as he spoke "That communicator is one of the top-of-the-line creations as far as Republic technology goes. I may contact you about missions I wish for you to do every so often, but let me be clear, it is a two-way communicator... If you ever require something, say extra funds or equipment, please, do not hesitate to contact me."

The Spartan took the device, looked it over, then hummed. "Thank you, Chancellor. I'll keep that in mind."

"You are free to go now, young man. A shuttle will take you back to the Temple, so you may begin your work." Palpatine said... Six nodded, stood up and slid the com device in his back pouch, before walking toward the door. Palpatine nodded, then grinned... An asset acquired today. And one looking for the legendary 'Wound in the Force', the legendary Darth Nihilus... The Unending Hunger... Oh, how quaint...

_Back at the temple... _Six walked toward the landed c70, his kit now on his back. Every single weapon he had with him was attached... Walking aboard, through the amidships loading bay, the Spartan found himself in a roomy hold, with multiple consoles and devicery, as well as several doors leading to the cockpit, the main cargo hold, the dorms, the engines and a stairwell that led down to a briefing room which could, presumably, detach, acting like an escape pod.

The consoles that had seats were the gunnery, coms and sensor arrays. He watched Ahsoka emerge from the front door, a smile on her face as she said "Well, she's new and shiny, but she'll do just fine."

Six chuckled "So you like old and dirty then?"

Ahsoka pressed her lips, then shook her head.

"Joking." Six said, walking up to the Bridge "We got Coords for Corellia locked in?"

"Yep. Just waiting for ya." Ahsoka smirked "I'll take co-pilot if you wanna learn flight controls."

"Sure thing." Six stepped up to the bridge, to see Master Fay looking over the ship's computers. She nodded to him, giving him a warm smile, like that of a mother's, before turning back to the consoles. He saw it was navigation that she was working on... Cool, so that meant she was putting in the Coords. And Barriss was on the right consoles. Main communications. Good. Six walked up to the ship's pilot seat, looked over the console and said "Help me power her up."

Ahsoka chuckled, sat down and tapped a few buttons on the console... The ship's engines purred to life and the ramp that had gotten Six aboard closed. Ahsoka said "Running diagnostics. Engines online. Hyperdrive charged, communications?"

"Online." Barriss nodded. "I... didn't get to say anything, but doesn't anyone else think this is a bit crazy?"

"Nope." Ahsoka and Six chirped in unison. And Fay laughed.

"Stay calm, young one. we will be fine." She added. "Navigation is operational and Coordinates are in. Waiting for you to bring us out of Atmosphere."

"All systems nominal." Ahsoka noted. "On your mark, Six."

The Spartan tapped a few codes in the console himself, then said through Com "Coruscant ATC, This is..." And he gazed to the ID "Alpha-417, initiating Takeoff procedures. Keep the skies clear for us..." He hummed. A confirmation beep came from the console as he powered the engines to maximum thrust... And, upon releasing the docking clamps, the ship shot out of the hangar and up into the sky, at escape velocity... Six watched the lights and trails of Republic warships mill around and above them in outer space... He reported "We're out of the Atmosphere and leaving the Magnetic Field now... Going into FTL. Hang tight."

And, pushing forward a lever... The Spartan saw the space around them morph, vanishing into a torrent of blue... And so...

The adventure has begun.


	5. Corellia Part 1:The Assassin

The Spartan watched the blue whirlpool of Hyperspace dissipate. He felt the slight deceleration of the small Frigate as they re-entered normal space. He looked over to Ahsoka, to see her running through a series of switches, before turning to the com console, tuning it via the press of a few buttons and speaking aloud "Corellia ATC, this is Alpha Four-Seventeen. We are here on official Jedi Order business. Ya got a landing site for us?"

... Six listened to the Com as it crackled to life, then heard a woman's voice speak "_Alpha Four-Seventeen, this is Corellia ATC. We copy you loud and clear... Proceed to docking bay 9. You are cleared for landing. ATC out."_

Six hummed, then stood up. He spoke calmly "I'll go see what I can grab." as he took his pistol from the console in front of him and holstered it. Going into the back, the Spartan took to opening the locker he'd left most of his weapons in. His MA37, his DMR... Et-Cetera. He slung the Energy Sword back onto his hip and looked over his ammunition. If he was to keep using his ammo, he would probably have to do it sparingly. Too many rounds used meant he had none of those until he met his own people to rearm. If he met them.

He looked to his left, to see the Elf-like woman sitting. Meditating. Master Fay was apparently a pretty big deal in the Order. Ahsoka had told him how she'd been going around the Galaxy, guided by the Force, for centuries, if not millennia, helping whoever she could however she could. And the Force kept her this young and beautiful, so it must've been a bit more than science.

He cleared his throat, taking the woman's attention toward him. She raised her gaze and smiled, then offered "Anything I can do for you, Noble Six?"

"Was just wondering if you were gonna tag along too, Master Fay." The Spartan noted, stowing his AR on his back for now. He'd need to check his balance and start getting local weapons before long. Maybe he could scavenge some off destroyed Droids, or off of the corpse of anyone stupid enough to try and mess with him. He eyed the woman, but got a shake of the head.

"I will stay and guard the ship. Perhaps aid us in finding the next step of our path..." The woman spoke, smile still there... But Six noticed how distraught she seemed.

He raised a brow upon observing a slight twitch. The Spartan then asked "Something the matter?" cautiously. She paused, looking at the floor, then she turned back to him and shook her head. Curious, but the Spartan wasn't gonna cherry pick now... He watched as Ahsoka and Barriss walked into the hold, to join him, before nodding to them. He flicked on a switch and the ramp slowly lowered, revealing one of the dozen landing pads of Coronet's starport. The Spartan stepped down first, to be greeted by a patrol of Clones in pure white, as well as an officer.

The Spartan stared around at the towering Skyscrapers all the while. Maglev trains ran above them at incredible speeds, flying Cars moved in lanes and layers and the neon lights of the City lit the catwalks and high-rises in a flurry of bright, warm colors. Even the lower wards seemed warm and open to the newcomers, but the welcoming committee seemed worried.

The Spartan and Jedi soon walked up to their escorts. The officer, a slightly rotund and pale, younger man with shifty black eyes, gave quick salutes to Ahsoka and Barriss, then looked to Six and said "So you're the one the Jedi sent out... I'm Captain Karon Grell, Republic Intelligence. C'mon. We need to talk somewhere that's not this out there."

"Something the matter, Captain?" Barriss asked, brow raised.

The man nodded gravely, then spoke "I've been tailed here by someone. Had to ask for these Troopers to escort me here... Come, to my office."

The Spartan's gaze shifted toward the rooftops on instinct. The closest ones were a good hundred meters away and some even had railings, so it was harder to see, but he knew better than to not search. His hand hovered over his handgun as he continued his scan, boosting his Motion Tracker to 500 meters search. He looked over, just in time to watch the scarlet bolt of a blaster rifle pass through the air.

Captain Grell dropped to the floor, a wound through the side of his chest cavity. Six's return fire was late by seconds, with five shots from his M6. He saw where the shot came from, tracing it back and he also managed to see a slim figure running... The Spartan swore behind his breath, slinging his pistol to his hip and going toward Grell as a Clone trooper tended to him.

"No good..." The Clone medic spoke. "Shot punched clean through his lungs, burned his heart... He's gone."

"Shit..." Six growled, then looked over him. "Gonna need to search his pockets... Maybe he has the intel we need... But for now..."

He looked up, noticing Troopers with Jump Packs arriving on the scene. He pointed out the direction that the shooter went and stood up. He looked to Ahsoka and Barriss and said "One of you stay with the clones. The other, with me. We've got a killer to catch."

Ahsoka looked to Barriss and smirked "I'll be going with'im. C'mon, Six!"

The girl surged forth, to which Barriss shrugged, then went to help the Clones. The Spartan rolled his eyes, then ran with Ahsoka, down one of the many catwalks of the place. The girl then jumped on top of some crates and up onto the roof a level higher than them. The Spartan followed, slowly, behind, rifle drawn. He broke into a full sprint, using his armor's boosts to the best of his abilities as he caught up to the parkouring Togruta.

"Yo, Tails! Going a little fast, aren't we?!" He quipped, watching as the Jump Troopers joined them, Blasters drawn. He eyed the running target ahead, a city block further... The Spartan's speed grew as he rushed toward the edge of this roof, only to jump onto the next at maximum speed of 60 Kilometers per hour... Enough speed that the Shooter turned toward him, raising their blaster to fire. The Spartan dodged one Bolt, before raising his own rifle and firing in short bursts...

Rounds scraped the wall as the Jump Troopers followed and ran with the Spartan and Jedi. The killer turned the corner of the roof, jumping across to a roof at a lower altitude and dashing to the left. Close behind, the Spartan and Jedi were keeping pace. The Assassin made it to a door, opening it and running down the pristine hallway, before taking a right. The Spartan and Jedi turned the corner too, only for two Blaster bolts to strike and scar the red stripe on the white metal wall. Six managed to take cover and yank Ahsoka with him. He looked down into her eyes, locking to her determined gaze, then nodded.

He turned the corner, aiming his rifle, then froze as he saw a human doctor wearing disinfected medical gowns running down the hall with a gurney that had a humanoid alien on it... He gritted his teeth, then moved forward, rifle raised. He passed by the doctor, his nurses and the patient, before turning into the wide reception of the hospital they were in... The Killer stopped near by the door, at the center of the crowd of shocked occupants, some hiding, some gasping, some standing there, shaken.

A female with most of her features covered by a black mask with red, tinted glass as its eyes, as well as a black hood, she wore a black and red light armor, with a surcoat on the waist. Two heavily modified Blaster Pistols sat neatly in their twin black leather holsters and, on her back, she had a modular Blaster Rifle, currently in its sniper configuration... Six squinted, his visor polarizing. He eyed an emblem on the woman's chest... A six-pointed star with a circular center, encased within a hexagon, the lines making up the outer each shape split at the middle...

His suit recorded the image... She gave Six a mock salute, before rushing out of the front door... He ran after her, with Ahsoka in tow, but upon exiting through the door, they found one of the planet's many topside catwalk streets filled by a mixed crowd of humans and aliens alike... The Spartan scoffed, checking his ammo count and slinging his AR onto his back. A platoon of Clones joined them, with their leader saying "Sir... Where's the shooter?"

"Lost in the crowd, trooper..." Six sighed. "Got a good look at her, though. And I got a photo of an emblem she was wearing on her chest."

"That could be useful." Ahsoka mused, looking to him.

The Spartan hummed "Yeah. Could be... I'll try and find a way to either print or copy the photo to one of your tablets, send it to the Council or the Republic's Intel officers for any type of info they could give us."

"Yeah. We should probably head for the Captain's office... See what kind of stuff he was working on here on Corellia." The young Padawan offered her opinion. Six was keen to take it, nodding and turning to the Clones. The duet then took to following the Clones through the crowded streets. Six watched the tall buildings they walked by flicker and shine with the neon and holograms. Recruitment offices for the Republic Navy, the Army and medical corps... Fitting, considering, but...

Eh, not like he cared anyways...

As they approached the main precinct building in which the Captain's office was located, they were greeted by a monolithic structure with several landing pads adorned across the top and a mound of anti-air and other types of defenses both atop and around it, within the Garrisons and Barracks scattered in a circular pattern between the tall high-rises of buildings...

The reception was similarly imposing to the main building itself. A very-well lit hall, with Republic flags and banners hanging proudly over the main desks, where human and alien alike worked. The clones led them directly up the stairs, down a busy hallway and to the door of the Captain's office.

Six looked to the officer and said "We're gonna need access to the place."

"Sir, yessir." The trooper said "Local Police's gonna come by to look at the place too, though."

"We won't bother much." Ahsoka quipped. "Right, Six?"

"Yeah... Hey, Tails, why don't you go find the other one, find out if she's with the policemen and if they figured anything out. Maybe getting info on the weapon type used to kill the Captain will give us some kinda lead. I'll look through the place 'till then." He offered. Ahsoka raised a brow, then hummed.

"You have some suspicions about this?" Ahsoka inquired.

"I'm more concerned of the killer coming in to check if she finished the job and starting a shootout at a police station." He quipped. "Now, go on. I'll get the place checked."

Ahsoka nodded "Gotcha... Well, Ya know our com-link. Ring if you're feeling lonely." And she smirked, before walking away. He gave her a nod, before turning to the Clone officer. Said officer slid the card onto the reader's sensor suite and the door hissed as it opened, sliding to the side... The Spartan stepped inside the room, to see a window leading to the outside, with a clear view of the rest of the city... The room itself was clean, tidy... Should make finding things easier... The furniture present was a mix of office stuff and some personal additions for comfort. A sofa to his right, next to a set of drawers that had holo-files in them. A corner-desk on the wall with the window, facing the door... Some leather chairs, shelves with different memorabilia and books... And a weapons case.

Decent place... He went behind the desk, sitting himself down onto the man's chair and silently praying it held as he activated the man's holo-computer. He primed and powered the device and two prongs extended from the metallic desk, before their sides lit themselves a blue hue... The screen shimmered for a second, before it thrummed, awaking to life. As the log-in screen appeared, Six's helmet slowly began to translate the symbols that appeared onto it... He looked to his TACCOM as it worked on that by itself...

"Huh..." He hummed, then pulled out a cord from the top and slid it into a port below the PC... Slowly, the translation streamed onto his HUD... And of course, the damn thing needed a Password... The Spartan began looking through the drawers as his TACCOM worked through parsing and translating each symbol into a coherent language. Thankfully, it seemed to be doing a good job at it, since the translation was going fast...

He was thankful the man kept everything eerily over-organized, even for someone afraid for his life... The Spartan soon found a tablet which was auto-translated by his HUD... With the computer's Password... 'Aayura'... Huh, must've been someone important to him. He put the tablet onto the desk, then tapped in the password. The desktop and screensaver that emerged showed the man with an alien girl with tails similar to Ahsoka's... One of which was curled around her neck. Her skin was blue and she had face tattoos... Cradled in her hand was a mix-breed baby, human and alien... Both of them were smiling...

"Shit... Sorry, Captain..." He murmured, partly disappointed, partly conflicted... He rummaged through the man's files for a bit... Before finding some kind of text-based file titled '_Nihilianth's Cult'... _Aw for FUCK'S SAKE! A CULT... HE FUCKING... Letting out a sigh and furrowing his brows, the Spartan opened the file, murmuring to himself as he read... A cult based on the belief of the return of an ancient legend from during the Old Republic days, affiliated with the so-called enemies of the Jedi, the Sith. Sightings reported across the Galaxy of small cells operating in the underbelly of major cities... Possible assassins killing members of the Republic Intelligence Services crazy enough to try and trail them. Cover their tracks very well... Sighted on Death Worlds, such as the famed Sith Tomb World... Korriban... And near the end, there was a list of planets the Cult was spotted on.

Well, he knew his next targets...

He set the file to download to his suit, and then self-delete, turning toward the window with his hand hovering over his pistol. His eyes scanned the top, sides and bottom of the window, just in case... And the moment the download finished and the file self-deleted, the Spartan removed the wire and walked toward the door. Trying to open it, he found it was stuck... And a weapon charged behind him...

"You got in through the vents... Smart." Six hummed.

"Didn't have to break the window either. Greetings to you as well, soldier." The woman spoke gallantly, her voice smooth like silk. The Spartan wanted to turn and draw his handgun, but she mouthed "Ah ah ah... No need to be hasty... I take it you have the files that that servant to the Jedi had on us?" to which the Spartan eyed her... He rolled his eyes.

"We have a lot to talk about..." The woman spoke.


End file.
